American Strategic Deception Bureau

　——Air Force Commander Duquemei, who was loyal to President Ngo Dinh Diem, had been assassinated by Air Force Deputy Commander Nguyen Cao Ky and his men, and his supporters had also been purged.

　Afterwards, Nguyen Cao Ky personally piloted an A-1 Skyraider attack aircraft, took off from Tan Son Nhat Airport, and led the team to bomb the Presidential Palace at Gia Long Palace.

　Because the South Vietnamese pilots had just massacred their colleagues and were still in a state of confusion, and because they had not learned their skills well before, the accuracy of their bombing was very poor.

　Most of the bombs dropped by the six Skyraider attack aircraft missed their targets.

　The bombing didn't damage much of the fortifications, but it left the area around Gia Long Palace in ruins. One aerial bomb even landed on the US Embassy, ​​a kilometer from the Presidential Palace, and exploded less than a hundred meters from Ambassador Lodge's office window, shattering the window and showering Ambassador Lodge with shards of glass.

　But despite this, the defection of the South Vietnamese Air Force and the retreat of external reinforcements were enough to completely destroy the last bit of morale of the defenders of the Presidential Palace.

　At 1:30 p.m. on March 30, facing the bombardment of the South Vietnamese armored M24 tanks, the presidential guard, which suffered heavy casualties, could no longer hold on and fled in surrender. Nguyen Van Thieu led the 5th Infantry Division into Gia Long Palace and found the body of Le Quang Song who had been killed in the explosion, but there was no sign of the Wu brothers.

　It’s strange, where did President Ngo Dinh Diem go?

　As soon as General Yang Wenming of the General Staff learned that the Presidential Palace had been captured, he immediately used the radio to call the American Embassy and asked Ambassador Lodge to recognize his new government. Ambassador Lodge, while receiving bandages, groaned and replied: There is no instruction from Washington yet.

　Chief of General Staff Chen Wendun sighed and said that it seemed that only after Wu Dinh Diem was captured would the Americans completely stand on their side.

　Immediately, the General Staff issued a strict order to urge Nguyen Van Thieu, who was at the front line, to search the ruins as soon as possible and make sure to capture President Ngo Dinh Diem.

　Not long after, the rebels of the 5th Infantry Division discovered a tunnel inside the Presidential Palace that led directly to the Chinese community in the nearby "Choline" area.

　So, Nguyen Van Thieu continued his efforts and led his troops to clear the Cholon area. He soon caught Ngo Dinh Nhu, Ngo Dinh Nhu, Ngo Dinh Diem's ​​younger brother, at the home of Ma Guoxuan, the leader of the Chaozhou gang. Ma Guoxuan was a drug lord who cooperated with Ngo Dinh Nhu in the opium trade, and was also a family friend of the Ngo family. He did not abandon him even in the critical moment.

　Soon, presidential advisor Ngo Dinh Nhu and several of his bodyguards were killed in a firefight with the rebels. Nguyen Van Thieu searched the scene and arrested the homeowner, Ma Quoc Xuan, for torture and interrogation, but he was unable to uncover the whereabouts of President Ngo Dinh Diem, as if no one had seen him.

　Just as the bewildered Division Commander Nguyen Van Thieu was about to order his troops to expand their search of the embankment area and dig deep into every house, he was stopped by Chen Wendun from the General Staff. "No need to search! Quickly pack up! The previous intelligence was wrong! The president is in Da Nang today!"

　Danang?!

　Oh my God, this isn't over yet?

　In this way, with the regret of not achieving full success, Nguyen Van Thieu ordered the 5th Infantry Division to end the battle and escort the prisoners of war and Ngo Dinh Nhu's body back to the camp.

　At this time, sporadic gunshots were still heard in the city of Saigon. A small number of stragglers loyal to President Ngo Dinh Diem were still either resisting stubbornly or preparing to flee. There were also many defeated soldiers and local thugs who smashed open shops and looted them.

　But despite this, Saigon citizens still took to the streets to express their joy at the fall of Ngo Dinh Diem's ​​regime.

　They cheered and danced in the streets, gave bread and flowers to the rebel soldiers, and threw confetti at the victorious General Nguyen Van Thieu.

　Reporters from Europe and the United States also witnessed this joyous scene throughout the city, and heard the news announced by Saigon Radio that former Vice President Nguyen Ngoc Thu had taken office as the provisional president of the Republic of Vietnam. They all believed that the fighting was over, that the new regime seemed to be very popular among the people, and that the future was promising.

　However, what they didn't know was that today's brief exchange of fire was only the beginning of the turmoil that was to come...

　——As people learned that Ngo Dinh Diem was not dead but was planning a counterattack, the whole of Saigon was once again shrouded in terror.

　-

　Turn back the clock to 8:00 am on March 30, 1962, in Da Nang, central Vietnam.

　At the dock where the Yukikaze, no, the destroyer Zhao Shizhen was moored, a temporary tent and podium were set up, and colorful flags were hung all around.

　Amid the melodious music of the military band, a group of South Vietnamese naval officers, dressed in snow-white military uniforms, lined up solemnly on the dock.

　Although South Vietnam currently has few good ships, and its navy is even more shabby than that of the Republic of China Navy back then, it still has to put on a show.

　In addition to the captains of the South Vietnamese Navy, as well as the reporters and American advisers who were standing by and pointing and talking, the special envoy of the Taiwan "National Government", General Hu Lian, the "famous general of Kinmen", also flew over from Taipei this time to bid farewell to the "Snow Wind/Danyang" ship, which originally belonged to Taiwan and became the flagship of the South Vietnamese Navy.

　——According to rumors, Hu Lian will soon be appointed as ambassador to South Vietnam. This time he came here to explore the area and familiarize himself with the environment.

　For the South Vietnamese Navy, which has few people and small ships, this scene of receiving new ships is very rare and worth a grand celebration.

　However, what the reporters and visiting guests didn't anticipate was that the protagonist of today's celebration to welcome the "new ship" wasn't Colonel Ho Tien Quan, commander of the South Vietnamese Navy, nor was it the arrogant and domineering First Lady Tran Li Xuan, but rather the country's most powerful figure...

　Seeing a short, fat man in a white suit speaking eloquently at the podium, Firi couldn't help but feel puzzled. He asked Dr. Kissinger, "President Ngo Dinh Diem...why did he come all the way from Saigon? Didn't the notice yesterday say that the Navy Commander would preside over the ceremony?"

　"Ahem, as far as I know, Mrs. Chen Lichun heard yesterday that the President refused to come to Da Nang, so she immediately called the Presidential Palace in Saigon and yelled and roared. As a result, President Wu Dinh Diem hurriedly flew over in a helicopter.

　Danang is rushing..."

　Dr. Kissinger was obviously very talented when it came to getting gossip. In the blink of an eye, he had found out the whole story of Wu Dinh Diem's ​​visit.

　——Of course, the matter is not as simple as "Evil Dragon Lady" Chen Lichun releasing her special skill "Hedong Lion's Roar" on the president.

　President Ngo Dinh Diem originally did not want to leave Saigon rashly because he noticed that things were not going well in Saigon recently and that the army generals were about to rebel.

　But his brother, Chen Lichun's husband, presidential advisor Ngo Dinh Nhu, said that Saigon had already made arrangements to suppress the rebellion and that it was foolproof. However, the situation in the First Military Region in the north, covering Da Nang and Hue, was more uncertain.

　The First Military Region is geographically adjacent to North Vietnam, and generals such as Yang Ming-Ning and Chen Wen-don have always been suspected of "collaborating with the Communists". It is hard to say whether they will become desperate and simply open the door to the thieves after the coup fails, leading the North Vietnamese army southward.

　The Hue area is the hometown of their Wu family, and it must not be lost.

　To be on the safe side, it would be better for the President to go north to inspect and see whether the First Military Region is prepared to resist the invasion from the north.

　After hearing his brother's words, President Ngo Dinh Diem thought it made sense, so he quickly boarded the Presidential Guard's Huey helicopter and, after two refueling stops, flew all the way to Da Nang to attend the commissioning ceremony of the new ship. He was also preparing to go to Hue to inspect the war preparations of the First Military Region.

　——Who knew that as soon as he left, chaos broke out in Saigon...

　Just as Ferry and Dr. Kissinger were whispering to each other, the Yukikaze destroyer had completed the entire process of changing its name and entering service, officially raised the South Vietnamese naval flag, and became the new flagship of the South Vietnamese Navy, the "Treatise on Trieu Thi Trinh".

　Normally, it should have been time to call it a day, but Ngo Dinh Diem found himself in the mood to talk and continued to speak into the microphone: "Since the end of World War II, Vietnam has been striving to break free from colonial rule and strive for national independence. To this end, I abolished the monarchy in 1955 and established the democratic Republic of Vietnam. Since then, our country's industry, agriculture, and commerce have flourished, and the country is thriving!"

　"The prosperity of the Republic of Vietnam depends on our faith in God, democracy and freedom!

　However, the Viet Cong has repeatedly used its evil theories to erode our country, used spies to sabotage and disrupt our country, and infiltrated with bandit soldiers with the intention of overthrowing our country!

　"Now, the Republic of Vietnam has reached its most dangerous moment! The Vietcong are threatening us from outside, and rebels are plotting to overthrow the government from within!

　In such a critical moment, in order to safeguard the Republic’s system and survival, the entire nation’s military and civilians need to be more united and sincere…”

　However, just as everyone was about to fall asleep, a secretary suddenly and rudely rushed up to the podium, moved the microphone away from President Diem, and whispered something into his ear. Diem's ​​face suddenly changed drastically. He immediately jumped off the podium and climbed the gangway onto the Snow Wind... no, the Trieu Thi Trinh.

　Everyone present looked at this scene in surprise, looking at each other in confusion for a moment.

　But not long after, explosive news spread in Da Nang: "This is terrible! Fighting has broken out in Saigon!"

　What role did it play in the change?"

　"It's indeed suspicious. There are so many Americans in Saigon. It's impossible that they really didn't do anything, right?"

　"Keep your voice down, there are Americans here too..."

　Around the conference table in the center of the cabin, the officers and reporters gathered around a map of South Vietnam dotted with small flags, their brows furrowed and they whispered among themselves. Some of them had flashing eyes, filled with worry; while others had eyes full of amusement and playfulness, as if they were watching a play.

　On the sofa next to him, President Ngo Dinh Diem, who had initially presided over the meeting and was in charge of the overall strategy, had fainted from anger. A large group of anxious attendants crowded around him, fanning him and pinching his Ren Zhong point, but the president did not wake up.

　Perhaps, at this time, President Ngo Dinh Diem would rather fall into a coma to escape the bleak reality?

　——Speaking of which, just a few hours ago, Ngo Dinh Diem seemed confident about quelling the coup.

　After only a brief moment of shock, he held a combat meeting on the destroyer "Trophie Thi Trinh". In order to show how he, President Ngo Dinh Diem, was "commanding with confidence and giving orders with great vigor" and "making the masts and oars fly to dust in the midst of laughter and conversation", he also invited reporters from various countries and "generals from friendly countries" to attend.

　Among them, General Hu Lian of Taiwan was naturally invited to the meeting as a distinguished guest. Although Phiri's rank was only major, Chen Lichun introduced him to Ngo Dinh Diem as the "US Army commander" of the previous year's Cuban War, suggesting his seniority was not much less than that of the Taiwanese envoy.

　Although Diem was a little confused as to why Phiri's rank was only major, he still invited him to sit at the conference table.

　Then, in just a few hours, Firi witnessed the collapse of a country...

　-

　At the beginning, Ngo Dinh Diem believed that "the situation in Saigon was under control". His brother Ngo Dinh Nhu and the loyal special forces commander Le Quang Song would firmly defend the presidential palace in Gia Long Palace, while the Saigon Governor-General Major General Thon Thi Dinh would lead the anti-insurgency forces to attack from behind and wipe out the rebellion in one fell swoop.

　So, even though a military coup had occurred and the capital Saigon was turning into a battlefield, he still looked quite calm at the moment, as if he was in a state of panic, which at first glance really fooled many people.

　General Hu Lian from Taiwan was full of praise for Ngo Dinh Diem, saying that their founding father, Sun Yat-sen, also faced a difficult time when he had to flee aboard the Zhongshan warship after Chen Jiongming launched a rebellion. However, he eventually gathered loyal and righteous people on the ship and ultimately achieved great success.

　Today's President Ngo Dinh Diem is also remotely controlling various troops and commanding the suppression of rebellions from a warship. He will surely achieve a great success like the founding father.

　Well, at first glance, the two situations do seem a bit similar.

　But the problem is that the ship under our feet right now is the Yukikaze Prince Snow, not the Zhongshan ship that once bombarded Chen Jiongming!

　The auspicious power of the snow wind is enough to drag the entire Japanese Imperial Fleet to the bottom of the sea! How could tiny South Vietnam afford it?

　Sure enough, not long after the war broke out in Saigon, Major General Zun Shi Dinh, who was highly expected by President Ngo Dinh Diem, lost contact. Only Le Quang Song was left to guard the presidential palace in Gia Long Palace while constantly calling for help on the radio.

　Ngo Dinh Diem, in Da Nang, was frantic, but aside from ordering the navy to organize reinforcements and repeatedly sending telegrams urging the air force to deploy, he was helpless for the time being. Similarly, he had to put on a brave face and force a smile as he told reporters, "It doesn't matter. Even if Zun Shi Ding is defeated by the rebels, I have a backup plan. As long as Nguyen Khanh of the Second Military Region sends troops to rescue him, the situation in Saigon can still be saved!"

　As a result, at 11 o'clock in the morning, the commander of the Second Military Region, Nguyen Khanh, and other senior officers of the Second Military Region jointly issued a telegram, announcing their support for the "Military Revolutionary Committee" of Yang Ming-Ning and Chen Wen-don, and "earnestly requesting" Wu Dinh Diem to step down and go abroad to work with everyone and part ways amicably.

　Well, the reinforcements that Wu Tingyan was counting on actually surrendered to the enemy!

　This embarrassing scene of being slapped in the face shocked Wu Tingyan greatly.

　More importantly, with the rebellion in the Third Military Region and the overall change of flag and defection of the Second Military Region, the reinforcements organized by the commander of the Fourth Military Region, Huang Wengao, were blocked in My Tho by the rebellious Seventh Division and could not cross the Mekong River. The Presidential Palace in Saigon was completely isolated and helpless.

　Presidential advisor Ngo Dinh Nhu, Chen Lichun's husband, who is trapped in the Presidential Palace, may be in danger of his life!

　Upon hearing that her husband's life was in danger, First Lady Chen Lichun became immediately worried.

　Although Ngo Dinh Diem was also worried, he still comforted his sister-in-law by saying that because he anticipated that there might be fighting in Saigon, Ngo Dinh Nhu had already sent his and Chen Lichun's three children to live temporarily with his fifth brother Ngo Dinh Jin in Hue.

　In this way, even if Chen Lichun's husband was in danger in Saigon, Chen Lichun's children had at least been transferred to Hue and were still safe.

　——In Ngo Dinh Diem's ​​view, the commander of the First Military Region, Do Cao Tri, had worked extremely hard to carry out his "destroy Buddhism" order in Hue. He had already made a mortal feud with Buddhists and paid a token of allegiance. He was definitely not on the same page with Yang Ming-wen's gang, so he should be trustworthy now.

　Unexpectedly, this slap in the face always comes quickly. One hour after the Second Military Region Commander Nguyen Khanh announced his rebellion, that is, at noon, the First Military Region Commander in Hue

　This led Du Gaozhi to issue a telegram announcing his support for Yang Wenming and Chen Wendun’s "Military Revolutionary Committee"!

　In addition, Du Gaozhi personally led the First Division to surround and raid Wu Tingjin's residence. After breaking in, they killed everyone they saw, leaving no one alive.

　Although Wu Tingjin had been established in Hue for many years, known as the "Prince of Hue," with countless subordinates, the incident happened so suddenly that he had no time to react. The soldiers of the First Division burst into his home and slaughtered his entire family in an instant, like cutting melons and vegetables.

　Next, Du Caozhi sent troops to attack the president's second brother, Ngo Dinh Chu, who was appointed by the Holy See as the Archbishop of the Catholic Diocese of Hue. At that time, he was staying in the Notre Dame Cathedral in Hue. He was surrounded by hundreds of Catholic militiamen as guards, and he could still resist in an emergency.

　Because the church is made of stone, it is very solid and even a 75mm howitzer could not destroy it.

　Therefore, in the face of the rebellion of the First Military Region, Bishop Ngo Dinh Chu was still able to fight stubbornly in the church while sending telegrams everywhere for help. He also contacted Ngo Dinh Diem in Da Nang and informed him of the tragic news that Ngo Dinh Chin's family had been killed and Chen Lichun's three children had not been spared.

　Upon learning that the First Military Region had also rebelled, Wu Tingyan could no longer remain calm and couldn't hold it in any longer.

　On the other side, upon hearing that all her children had died, Chen Lichun's face instantly turned pale and she lost her balance. She immediately fell backwards and hit her head on the corner of the table. Bleeding profusely, the sailors hurriedly carried her to the medical room for bandaging and emergency treatment.

　It took Ngo Dinh Diem a long time to calm down. He ordered the naval commander Hu Jinquan to quickly dispatch a fleet north to Hue, break into the Perfume River, and try to rescue Bishop Ngo Dinh Chu who was trapped in the church. At the same time, he tried to contact the US Embassy in Saigon to find a way to mediate peace talks.

　However, an hour later, before the rescue fleet had even left Danang Bay, the Hue Notre Dame Cathedral, under siege by a division, could no longer be defended. Seeing the Catholic militia guarding the cathedral crumble, Bishop Ngo Dinh Thuc sent a farewell telegram to President Ngo Dinh Diem before being killed by the rebels.

　Next, a series of bad news, including the equally trusted South Vietnamese Air Force choosing to rebel, the fall of the Presidential Palace, the death of Le Quang Song, the death of Ngo Dinh Nhu after escaping from a tunnel to the Cholon area of ​​Saigon, the announcement of the establishment of a new government by the rebels, etc., were also transmitted to Da Nang through radio waves.

　President Ngo Dinh Diem, who had lost three of his brothers in just one day, finally couldn't hold on any longer and fainted...

　Well, it sounds a bit pitiful, but according to what the Wu brothers did in the past, it seems that they don’t deserve any sympathy at all.

　Ferry looked down at the map and found that the Ngo Dinh Diem regime was probably really going to be finished this time - except for Da Nang, which was isolated in the north, three-quarters of the territory of South Vietnam, including the capital Saigon, had been controlled by the rebels led by Dang Minh.

　While the South Vietnamese Navy remained loyal to Diem, the South Vietnamese Air Force switched to Dung Minh.

　Wu Tingyan could only use the forces of one military district to fight against the three military districts of the rebels - with such a huge disparity in strength, how could he not be defeated?

　What’s even more terrible is that Hue is to the north of Da Nang, and the rebels in Hue should know by now that President Ngo Dinh Diem is in Da Nang.

　So, after suppressing the Catholic militia around Hue, will the commander of the First Military Region, Do Gaozhi, send troops directly to attack Da Nang?

　Thinking of this, Fili was suddenly startled and felt a chill on his back.

　Although according to his idea, no matter how the South Vietnamese troops fought, they should not have the courage to attack the Americans.

　But the problem is, bullets have no eyes. Once a melee breaks out, who knows if you will be blown into the sky by a cannonball?

　He hesitated for a moment, and just as he was about to ask to leave, he saw "Dragon Lady" Chen Lichun, with a bandage on her head, rushing into the meeting room on the ship with an angry face...

　Even if Ho Chi Minh personally invited you to be an official, would you have refused outright?

　Now, how many of our Wu family members have been killed by Yang Wenming’s rebel generals? Do you still expect him to let you go? Bah! I don’t want to let him go! "

　First Lady Tran Li Chun threw Diem back onto the sofa. She planted her right foot on the coffee table, one hand on her hip. Her bloodshot eyes shone like searchlights, and she cursed like a child, "Come on! Mr. President! The navy and army of Da Nang still support you! General Huang Wengao of the Fourth Military Region is still fighting in the south! Tens of thousands of soldiers are fighting bloody battles along the Mekong River. How can you, as president, surrender first?"

　After hearing Chen Lichun's words, Ngo Dinh Diem felt ashamed for a moment. But thinking about the desperate situation, he couldn't help but feel timid again. "If possible, I would also like to take revenge! But...but..."

　He looked at Chen Lichun, whose face was full of anger, and then looked at everyone in the venue who had different expressions. His expression was very conflicted, and his face turned red and white.

　"Mr. President, if you absolutely want to escape, I won't stop you. There should still be planes at the airport in Da Nang, and there are plenty of ships in the harbor. As long as you leave Vietnamese territory, even if the United States doesn't accept you, you can go to Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, or the Philippines.

　The world is so big, there will always be a place for you, the exiled president!

　But as the First Lady of South Vietnam, I decided to stay and fight until the last moment against those enemies who killed all my children!

　As a woman, a widow, a mother who lost her child! I will never forgive the enemy who killed my child! "

　Chen Lichun said firmly, "I would rather die on the battlefield as the First Lady, like the ancient heroine Zhao Shizhen, than watch my enemies triumph! If God has destined those traitors to triumph, then this beautiful warship will be my perfect coffin!"

　As she spoke, she stomped her feet hard, making the steel floor of the Xuefeng/Zhao Shizhen crackle.

　"Mr. President, your wife is determined to sacrifice her life for her country, so how can we men give up so easily?

　Our navy still has the strength to fight again! The special forces and Catholic militia in Da Nang, as well as the 3rd Division in Quang Ngai Province, are also loyal to the president!